FORCLIMADAPT “Adaptation of Mediterranean woodland to climate change » (MED, 2010-2013)
Presentation of the project
The objective of the FORCLIMADAPT project, which ended in 2013, was to develop new techniques to improve the adaptability of Mediterranean natural areas to climate change, particularly the risk of erosion, wildfire and die-back, by adopting four complementary approaches:
- The development of ecosystems changes monitoring and observation systems,
- The development of new forestry methodology which will promote heterogeneity while maintaining economic worth,
- The development of ecologically sound methods for restoring and planting degraded lands,
- The information, enhancing public awareness and improving governance.
This project involved a partnership from five countries: Italy, Spain, France, Greece and Portugal.
Results and outputs
1. Pilot activities of the partners
The pilot experiments have allowed to identify the “good practices” related to:
- Observation and follow-up of changes in ecosystems.
- Development of an “adaptative silviculture”.
- Development of methods of ecological restoration of degraded lands.
- Information, awareness raising and governance in terms of climate change adaptation.
2. Deliverables
The partners have published, in a cooperative way when possible, some guides and reports such as:
- Bibliographic research.
- Diagnosis and studies about processes of adaptation of the ecosystems to climate evolutions.
- Operational guidelines and technical recommendations.
- Local action plans.
- Modelling (for example, fire behaviour model).
- Information and communication products.
- Training sessions and workshops.
- Platform of exchanges and networking data base.
- Written balances of pilot projects.
3. Capitalisation elements
FORCLIMADAPT produced several documents and reports for managers of protected areas, people needing reference works and decision-makers who seek an integrated overview of their territories, additionally to the global communication tools that are mentioned below:
- Three Progress books were compiled after each two seminars in order to present the visited pilot territories and scheduled activities and, above all, to summarize the main elements of discussion during the seminars.
- A Final capitalization report has been rounded out the project. It synthesises the results and achievements accruing from the project and its pilot activities, and indicates how transferring good practices of forest management and governance of local and regional entities to other regions in the Mediterranean. This report will be largely based on the work carried out by the peer group.
- At the project’s mid-term, the project leader commissioned a quality assessment report to be made by an independent auditor. The goal was to estimate the quality and relevance of the undertaken activities in the light of project initial objectives and, as a consequence, to suggest certain adaptation measures in order to improve the project implementation for the remaining period